TROY -- Mayor Lou Rosamilia announced Friday he is seeking applications from members of the community to join the City's Police Objective Review Committee to help improve the department and help it build a better relationship with the community.

"It is my hope that the Police Objective Review Committee will be a productive and effective group that offers valuable insight into how we, as a City, can enhance police investigations and facilitate even greater communication between neighborhoods, our public safety officers and City Hall," Rosamilia said in a prepared statement. "The members of our police department do a great job and are a credit to the community. Like any company, organization or municipal department, we are always looking for ways to improve the services we provide. I am optimistic that this committee can help us achieve that."

According to a press release regarding the committee, the committee would be tasked with reviewing investigations conducted by the department, look at way to improve relations between the department and the community, look over current hiring practices, study training requirements and programs and provide recommendations for changes, and examine the administrative review process for completed professional standards investigations.

Chief John Tedesco welcomes the creation of a new committee, as the last one dissolved on Dec. 31, 2011. The charter requires one to be put in place but Tedesco said the previous committee struggled to ever hold a quorum.

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"I'm hoping that has turned and people will take more of an interest in the department and the community," Tedesco said. "I think it does help the department."

Troy Police Benevolent Association President Bob Fitzgerald said the previous members of the committee were political appointees put up by former Mayor Harry Tutunjian, who were more concerned with helping their friends and exerting control.

"There were political appointments in the past that were not able to get anything accomplished," Fitzgerald said. "Several members in the last committee were more interested in running the police department and getting people promoted than the issues at hand."

This time around, though, Fitzgerald believes Rosamilia will have the interest of the city and department when selecting members for the committee, adding it should feature a good diversity in the city.

"It will be a cross selection of the make-up of the city," Fitzgerald said. "The more communication and dialogue between the police and community the better off the community will be served."

Councilwoman Nina Nichols, D-At Large, who also serves as chairman of the Public Safety Committee, said she plans to look for a "diversity of perspectives" and wants to select people who represent different constituencies of the City.

She noted this comes after a request from members of the North Central community to create such a committee after alleging several instances of police brutality. The committee, Nichols said, would allow the community to see the process of the internal investigation and also offer its own advice on how to improve the process.

"I'm looking forward to having people throughout the city apply," Nichols said.

Applications can be accessed at www.troyny.gov in the "Bulletins" section. The committee will be comprised of eight community members, eight serving four-year terms and the other four serving three0year terms, a representative from the City's Corporation Counsel's office, the Troy Police Department Inspectional Unit and the Troy Police Benevolent Association.

Applications are due to the Mayor's office at City Hall, now located on the fifth floor of the Hedley Building at 433 River St. by Dec. 7. According to the release, Rosamilia hopes to have the committee in place by the end of January 2013.